I'm scared of how much my insurance will go up after the LA fires but there is a cap with CA regulations and also being dropped. 

Hope this helps get you to your best decision!

Tampa can work, but yes, taxes and insurance are higher and might keep cash flow tight.

But the rental too does have to meet the "active conduct of a trade or business" threshold, which does mean you wouldn't qualify to use section 179 if you have a rental that is managed entirely by someone else and you aren't at least overseeing it and making decisions about the management of it.I mostly disagree with the reply suggesting that you need to have an LLC to take the section 179 deduction. 

We were initially looking out of state for a potential move and or investment property just because the property taxes without being able to homestead, plus high cost of insurance, and harsh weather on homes made me feel like it might not be worth it.

It isn't having paid off properties that offers security, there are still taxes, insurance, maintenance and management involved. 

As to your point about confusion in the future, it's our policy to leave the conversation and thread open and available for anyone to read, they can gather all of the information and make an informed decision for themselves based on ALL the information provided.

Making INFORMED decisions. 

Insurance : This area of consideration deserves its own deep dive so we’ll briefly highlight key concerns. - The underinsured.

I am hoping to learn more about how investors analyze their deals and make decisions, as well as looking to better understand general real estate investing.